Schistosomes are parasites of considerable medical and veterinary importance and, therefore, all aspects of their biology have been intensively studied. In contrast, our knowledge of species of the largest genus, Trichobilharzia, is insufficient. Because morphological characterization of Trichobilharzia species provides a limited number of criteria for species determination, molecular data are ...

BACKGROUND Cercarial dermatitis is known as an endemic parasitic disease in North of Iran, a hypersensitive skin reaction to the penetration of nonhuman schistosome larvae into human skin. In recent studies in this region, final and intermediate hosts were recognized and Trichobilharzia was identified as the main causative agent of cercarial dermatitis in this region, but to date the parasite s...

Trichobilharzia regenti is a neurotropic bird schistosome,causing cercarial dermatitis in humans. In this study, ZAP cDNA expression library from Radix peregra s. lat. hepatopancreases containing intramolluscan stages of T. regenti was constructed and screened using PCR with specific and degenerate primers, designed according to previously described serine and cysteine peptidases of other paras...

Cercariae of the bird schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti and of the human schistosome Schistosoma mansoni employ proteases to invade the skin of their definitive hosts. To investigate whether a similar proteolytic mechanism is used by both species, cercarial extracts of T. regenti and S. mansoni were biochemically characterized, with the primary focus on cysteine peptidases. A similar pattern ...

Bird schistosomes, besides being responsible for bird schistosomiasis, are known as causative agents of cercarial dermatitis. Cercarial dermatitis develops after repeated contact with cercariae, mainly of the genus Trichobilharzia, and was described as a type I, immediate hypersensitivity response, followed by a late phase reaction. The immune response is Th2 polarized. Primary infection leads ...

b ackground: cercarial dermatitis is known as an endemic parasitic disease in north of iran, a hy- persensitive skin reaction to the penetration of nonhuman schistosome larvae into human skin. in recent studies in this region, final and intermediate hosts were recognized and trichobilharzia was identified as the main causative agent of cercarial dermatitis in this region, but to date the parasi...

Radix lagotis is an intermediate snail host of the nasal bird schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti. Changes in defence responses in infected snails that might be related to host-parasite compatibility are not known. This study therefore aimed to characterize R. lagotis haemocyte defence mechanisms and determine the extent to which they are modulated by T. regenti. Histological observations of R....

A transcriptional product of a gene encoding cathepsin B-like peptidase in the bird schistosome Trichobilharzia regenti was identified and cloned. The enzyme was named TrCB2 due to its 77% sequence similarity to cathepsin B2 from the important human parasite Schistosoma mansoni. The zymogen was expressed in the methylotropic yeast Pichia pastoris; procathepsin B2 underwent self-processing in ye...

Bird schistosomes and cases of human cercarial dermatitis occur worldwide, but the number of cases is not monitored. Experiments with two schistosomes, namely Trichobilharzia szidati and T. regenti, show that they possess potent tools to penetration bird and mammalian skin, as well as exhibit species-specific migration patterns within vertebrate bodies. Therefore, the infections may affect diff...

Bird schistosomes parasitize mammals as non-specific hosts. Neurotropic Trichobilharzia regenti migrates extravasally via nervous tissue in experimentally infected mice. The majority of successfully penetrated larvae remain in the skin; the rest migrate through peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and brain. The potential of schistosomula to leave the skin and enter the central nervous system v...